The HO scale Coloma Line

MRR-A0912_A plan

The layout at a glance Name: The Coloma Line Layout owner: Perry Amicangelo Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 9 x 13 feet Prototype: Chicago & North Western and Milwaukee Road Locale: southwest Wisconsin Era: mid-1950s Style: walk-in Benchwork: open grid Height: 43″ Roadbed: none Track: code 100 sectional and flextrack Mainline run: 44 feet Minimum radius: […]

Read More…

Me first!

Baldwin AS416 No. 1609 rattles across the diamond at Boylan Tower in Raleigh, N.C., on Aug. 29, 1969, while Southern Railway train No. 22 waits for its turn. The NS unit has 36 cars in tow as it heads south with local freight No. 49. Photo by Curt Tillotson Jr. […]

Read More…

Virginian in Victoria

Virginian Fairbanks-Morse units Nos. 20 and 39 leave Victoria, Va., on a westbound empty hopper train in March 1956. Norfolk Southern has revived this paint scheme on its 2012 heritage units. Photo by Herbert H. Harwood Jr. […]

Read More…

The Russian rolls

Gainesville Midland Russian Decapod No. 206 rolls near Candler, Ga., on March 25, 1955, with a freight from the Seaboard Air Line connection at Athens. The engine was once Seaboard Air Line No. 544 and had originally been built for export to Russia but never went overseas. Photo by Hugh M. Comer […]

Read More…

HO scale Boston Maine Bedford Division

Name: Boston & Maine Bedford Division Layout designer: Bill Moore Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 12′-0″ x 18′-6″ Prototype: freelanced, inspired by the Boston & Maine Locale: west-central New England Era: late 1940s to early 1950s Style: multilevel walk-in Mainline run: 174 feet Minimum radius: 36″ (upper level), 28″ (middle level), 21″ (lower level) Minimum turnout: […]

Read More…

HO scale Long Island & Lake Erie RR

Name: Long Island & Lake Erie RR Layout designer: Charlie Weinhofer Scale: HO (1:87.1) Size: 17 x 24 feet Prototype: Pennsylvania RR and Long Island RR Locale: New York Era: 1950s Style: walk-in Mainline run: 60 feet Minimum radius: 36″ Minimum turnout: no. 8 (main), no. 6 (yards), no. 4 (spurs) Maximum grade: 2 percent […]

Read More…

High hopes but no luck

In high hopes of increased coal traffic, West Virginia’s Middle Fork Railroad in the early 1960s laid heavier rail on its main line. Some of that rail waits in gons while a loaded coal train moves past at Ellamore, W.Va. Alas, the traffic never materialized. Photo by J. Michael Dunn III […]

Read More…

The HO scale New England & North Coast

Name: New England & North Coast Layout designer: Sam Novello Scale: HO (1:87.1) Room size: 12 x 14 feet Prototype: freelanced Locale: New England seacoast Era: 1955 to 1965 Style: walkaround Minimum radius: 22″ Mainline run: 100 feet Minimum turnout: no. 6 Maximum grade: 3 percent Originally appeared in the July 2012 issue of Model […]

Read More…

Corkscrew Gulch RR

Corkscrew Gulch RR

Name: Corkscrew Gulch RR Layout designer: Bob McLaughlin Scale: HOn3 (1:87.1 on 3-foot gauge tracks) Size: 4 x 18 feet Prototype: freelance Locale: Colorado and New Mexico Era: 1940s through ’50s Style: walk-around Mainline run: 40 feet Minimum radius: 18″ Minimum turnout: no. 4 Maximum grade: 4 percent Originally appeared in the June 2012 issue […]

Read More…